Boulder, CO Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section 5-4-13 is Boulder's core anti-dumping law, and it reaches more than curbside litter. Subsection (b) makes the driver of any vehicle, other than one carrying paying passengers, responsible for preventing a passenger from dumping trash out the window. Subsection (c) goes further: an owner, resident manager, local agent, or tenant of private property must keep trash already dumped there from blowing or washing onto a neighbor's land, though it is a specific defense that the material was dumped by trespassers and the responsible person did not have reasonable time to clean it up.

Subsection (d) separately bars stuffing a city park, recreation area, or open-space trash can with material that did not originate from lawful activity in that area, closing off nearby-neighborhood dumping into park receptacles. The section carves out two defenses: express landowner permission under Subsection (e), and reasonable-quantity literature distribution protected by the First Amendment under Subsection (f). S. A related but distinct offense, Section 5-4-12, "Depositing Trash on Property in Violation of Sign," bars using someone else's marked receptacle against a posted sign that is at least one-half square foot with one-inch lettering.

Both offenses are prosecuted in Boulder Municipal Court and carry the citywide Title 5 penalty in Section 5-2-4: a fine of up to $2,650 per violation, up to ninety days in jail, or both.